ATLANTA, Ga. – (Oct 5, 2020) – Driven by a commitment to deliver a safer auction experience while providing clients with more options to conduct business, Manheim expanded its Digital Block™ sales this week, adding four more locations. Digital Block sales offer in-lane bidding with a live auctioneer; however, vehicles are only displayed on screens and never travel down physical lanes. The sites are Manheim Atlanta, Manheim Georgia, Manheim New Mexico and Manheim Birmingham. They join 12 locations added over the past two weeks, including Manheim Phoenix, Manheim Detroit, Manheim Flint, Manheim Baltimore-Washington, Manheim Fort Lauderdale, Manheim Fredericksburg, Manheim New York, Manheim Orlando, Manheim Palm Beach, Manheim St. Pete, Manheim Tampa and Manheim New Jersey, bringing the total number of Digital Block sale locations to 70+ nationwide.
“Our teams are enjoying welcoming clients and giving them more access to our lanes through Digital Block sales,” said Manheim regional vice president Alan Lang. “Over the past several weeks, we’ve seen more dealers taking advantage of previewing vehicles as well as participating in Digital Block sales. As health and safety remain at the center of all we do, strict safety protocols remain in place, including requiring facial coverings, social distancing and daily reviews of pandemic data in each market.”
Year to date through September, Manheim saw over 2.5 million digital transactions, which is more than 40% higher than the same period last year. In addition, nearly 100,000 dealers are attending Manheim sales each week – whether bidding onsite via Digital Block sales or participating digitally via Simulcast. Earlier in the year, the company announced that it will continue to waive Simulcast Success Fees through the end of the year.
Since the pandemic, Manheim’s actions to re-open its operations have included:
“Manheim has done a great job adjusting to current challenging times with excellent overall results in our use of Manheim Digital Block sales,” said Frank Enriquez, representative, Nick Alexander BMW Mini in Los Angeles.
As Manheim celebrates 75 years of industry innovation and leadership in 2020, the company is moving forward with a Digital First marketplace strategy to transition its auction marketplace into a single client experience maximized for digital interactions and supported by efficient and flexible physical operations. This includes unifying Manheim’s digital platforms, such as Manheim.com and Simulcast, with its physical assets to give clients an enhanced experience no matter how they choose to conduct business.
Another effort underway is Manheim’s investment in the next generation of vehicle information. This initiative is designed to give clients even more information digitally – more images, higher quality visuals and more mechanical and safety data – to help remove subjectivity and drive greater buyer and seller confidence.
